Re: [Evolution] IMAP and Expunge

[Al Niessner <Al Niessner jpl nasa gov>]

I never asked for a square hole or said I have round peg. I simply asked
if there was an automated way with filters to expunge a single folder.
The answer was no plus a couple of suggestions of how I might implement
it through scripts and I said fine. Simple as that. I like to use a tool
to maximum effectiveness without making changes. So, just because I
asked about expunging a single directory with a filter does not mean
that I think Evo should support it or that the rest of the world should
bend itself to my way of doing business.

It is all of the special behaviors of the Trash folder that I like and
use. The only function it has that I do not use is the empty function. I
am perfectly capable of not emptying the trash when exiting Evo and can
avoid clicking on it in the menus. Again I never asked Evo not to
support the emptying function. I simply stated that minus the empty
function, which I am free not to employ, it has all of the behaviors and
attributes that I am looking for.

And yes, I understand the difference between Trash and Junk in the
context of email and at least Evo. You are missing my point that what I
put in the Trash may not be trash a day, week, month, year, or 10
minutes from now -- just like stuff that accidently makes it into the
Junk folder that you discover a day, week, month, year, or 10 minutes
from now. For the same reason that we retain Junk until we can pull out
false positives as you put it, I keep all of my trash for the false
positives that I have not yet discovered -- these things take time. It
is the behavior and proprieties of the Trash folder (one click to get
there, search-able, hidden, sortable, retrieve messages from it, etc.)
that makes it more convenient than any other folder that I could create
and use. So, I use it rather than creating complex filters and actions
that I would have to debug and maintain for the rest of my life.

My statement that if I had the ability to create a folder that all of
the properties of the Trash was simply a concurrence to Patrick that it
is the behaviors and properties of the Trash folder that make it so
attractive. I was also making the point that if I could assign those
behaviors and properties, then I would probably call it Trash because
when I put it in that folder I think I am done with it and discarding it
until some time in the future I find I was wrong (false positive if you
prefer). Sounds like a Trash bin to me. I am just lucky because email
does not have an odor like real trash.

So, please do not take me wrong. I am not asking for changes in Evo. I
originally was asking about a possible undocumented feature -- expunging
a folder from a rule. After that I was pointing out that you two are
confusing your desires to order mail in some way with mine on using a
tools abilities to maximize its utility in my life with minimal effort
-- still are with square peg and round hole analogy.

If you want an analogy, I have a swiss army knife with a zillion gadgets
on them. I am not sure how to use all of them and the manual has been
partially eaten by worms or something. I could just try them and see
what happens, but blindly trying stuff is how you injure yourself. So, I
asked the experts that also use the knife and I am told to buy a second
and third swiss army knife with more sharp and pointy stuff to hurt
myself with. Instead, I choose to use the gadgets that I do know how to
use effectively and put the rest away so that I do not get hurt since
the experts told me that they do not do what I want anyway. I still like
and use the knife though.

Again, thanks for your help and suggestions. It is why I posted in the
first place. Personally, I have found that doing a ctrl-e on the folder
I want expunged every once in a while to be sufficient for my needs.
Automagic would be nicer, but they all require far too much work for the
benefit. Again, that is not asking for pegs to match holes, it is simply
stating how I decided to maximize Evo's utility while minimizing the
work for me.

On Tue, 2008-10-21 at 07:29 -0700, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
> On Tue, 2008-10-21 at 10:05 -0400, Art Alexion wrote:
> > It is as if your post said, "I am trying to put this square peg in the
> > round hole you have created and it won't let me.  Please redesign the
> > round hole so that I can fit the square peg in it."  Evolution offers
> > plenty of square hole alternatives, and relatively easy ways to use
> > them.
>
> Very well put :-)
>
> poc
>
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-- 
Al Niessner
818.354.0859

All opinions stated above are mine and do not necessarily reflect those
of JPL or NASA.

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